It has become impossible to imagine the (Belgian) music scene without Afrobeats. The charts are being flooded with artists who are sending this danceable and invigorating genre out into the world. Afrobeats is a big hit at AB too.

What is Afrobeats and where does it come from?

We go back to the '70s, when the genre 'Afrobeat' (without the ‘s’) was pioneered by Nigerian icon Fela Kuti. He merged American soul, jazz, gospel and funk into one genre. Together with his band ‘Africa70’, he used music to convey his political convictions. His son continued his work with ‘Egypt80’.

Kuti’s work left its mark, with the Afrobeats genre based on Afrobeat then emerging in 2010. And that genre then became known worldwide, in part thanks to the Nigerian diaspora. Afrobeats (with an 's') is an umbrella term for high-energy music, with polyrhythms and funky beats. Extensive use is made of autotune and it has a lighter tone. Political beliefs are less prominent, themes like relationships and love are all the more so.

A few years ago, this sound blew over to the West. That then inspired many artists to also release an album within the Afrobeats genre. On May 27, we welcome Ruger to AB. His unique mix of up-tempo beats, soulful vocals and recognizable lyrics about love, longing and self-confidence manage to mesmerise audiences all over the world. On April 18, Frenna drops by AB.